JetBlue, Spirit score exemptions to drop service at major US airports

JetBlue and Spirit Airlines received permission to remove as many as 16 destinations from their route US networks and still maintain compliance with the CARES Act. This lets the airlines reduce their service while still remaining eligible for the Payroll Support Program grants that help fund employee costs through 30 September 2020. Both airlines are permitted to halt service to their approved destinations immediately.

With new US Department of Transportation guidelines detailed in approvals for Sun Country, Frontier and Cape Air the approvals for other small airlines were assumed to be a sure thing, at least for a subset of specific airports. While all airlines are still required to maintain service at most destinations smaller carriers (i.e. not American, Delta, United, Southwest) can cut operations in 26 markets: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, and Washington, DC.

With this guidance in hand JetBlue and Spirit applied for new exemptions on 28 April and were rewarded with approvals on 5 May 2020.

The carrier previously announced intentions to add tag flights for service to Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), and Houston (IAH). Those tags could all be dropped given these approvals. Denver (DEN) could also be dropped per the ruling, but that would potentially impact planned tag flight service to Albuquerque (ABQ).

Much like JetBlue’s position, the carrier now can alter its planned “triangle” routes to remove some of these destinations. Portland (PDX) and Seattle (SEA) were to be served via Las Vegas (LAS). Charlotte (CLT) was to be tagged with Raleigh-Durham (RDU); that route can now operate directly.

After last week's renewed ask from the DOT, Spirit is going back again. Using the Allegiant ruling as backing, Spirit wants 8 more airports reduced from 3x. Allegiant got 3x reduced to 1x at several locations. https://t.co/d2ID784aQVpic.twitter.com/tJJRglXTom

Spirit issued a statement regarding the approval, noting it will accommodate affected passengers and expects to return to all six markets eventually:

We’re thankful for the review of our temporary waiver requests as part of the minimum service requirements included in the CARES Act, and we appreciate the waivers for Charlotte (CLT), Denver (DEN), Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX) and Phoenix (PHX). We will proactively take care of our Guests whose travel is impacted by future schedule changes and fully comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation requirements. We’re also incredibly proud of our Team Members for all their efforts as we navigate this unprecedented time. The health and safety of our Guests and Team Members continues to be our highest priority, and we look forward to returning to our destinations after a temporary suspension and adding more flight options as the demand for travel returns.

Timing for when Spirit will suspend the service will be managed on a per-airport basis by the carrier.

About Seth Miller

Seth Miller has over a decade of experience covering the airline industry. With a strong focus on passenger experience, Seth also has deep knowledge of inflight connectivity and loyalty programs. He is widely respected as an unbiased commentator on the aviation industry.

He is frequently consulted on innovations in passenger experience by airlines and technology providers.